"The State of Israel ... will ensure complete equality of social and political
rights of all its inhabitants irrespective of religion ... it will guarantee freedom
of religion and conscience." - May 1948)

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Hiddush legal advocacy ranges from cases dealing with the abuse of religious IDF draft exemptions for young women to elderly hot dog vendors who legally operate their carts in Jerusalem on Friday night.

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The bill presented to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation is complex and full of words, but it can be boiled down to this: any yeshiva student who does not want to enlist will not be drafted into the IDF

Just this week, on Tuesday, following Hiddush's petition, the Knesset approved regulations that would, for the first time, put a halt to the mass phenomenon of false claims of religiosity aimed at receiving exemptions from military service. Thousands of young women are exempted from IDF service every year on the basis of false affidavits claiming that their religious lifestyles prevent them from serving in the army, even though they lead secular lives.

Six years after the enactment of the law to establish an administrative process for revoking thousands of women's falsely obtained exemptions for having religious beliefs that conflict with IDF service, the process of approving the regulations to prevent such women from dodging the draft has not occurred, despite the continued phony claims of religious values.

Israel’s 39-chapter annual state Comptroller report, published on Tuesday, May 16, was nothing less than a blistering indictment of the unholy alliance of religion & state in Israel, providing multiple examples of criminality, corruption, and discrimination conducted by government officials in the arena of religion & state.

Israel’s politicians have deliberately chosen to pursue legislation which is not only immoral but also unconstitutional, having been struck out twice already by the Supreme Court. The question, though, is how long it will take the Supreme Court to rule that this most recent amendment is illegal as well. Our politicians may be counting on this very fact: the wheels of justice grind slowly…

Will the Equality in Sharing the Burden Law achieve the goal stated by its very name? Hiddush VP Shahar Ilan discusses the development of one Israel's hottest political issues and the need for smart solutions in enforcing the law.

Hiddush's petition to the Supreme Court resulted in the landmark decision to freeze funding to yeshiva students who do not draft into the army. This is a necessary step to achieving equality in sharing the burden between all sectors of Israeli society.

Hiddush Vice President Shahar Ilan testified last week before the Plesner Committee on Equal Sharing of Civic Burdens. “Anyone who thinks there is a respected ultra-Orthodox authority who is ready to encourage yeshiva students to serve should suggest him. Even Rav Shteinman, presented as a moderate, leads the fight against compulsory service."

68% of Israeli Jews support denying subsidies to those who don’t serve in the army, 69% support the Supreme Court decision to invalidate the Tal Law*, and 82% support passing a law that would force most yeshiva students to enlist.

Number of current yeshiva students receiving deferments estimated at 58,000. Hiddush President Adv. Rabbi Uri Regev: “Any extension of the Tal Law does a huge disservice to the proud concept of the Peoples’ Army. The public will not tolerate continued discrimination in favor of the ultra-Orthodox; any extension will see great consequences in the next election.”